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This is the moment when Jennifer Burt, for the first time in her life, wished her mum a Happy Mother's Day.

Until now the 21-year-old could not speak - but thanks to modern technology and a team of communications experts, Jennifer now has a voice.

For mum Helen it is the best present in the world and a very special moment for the daughter she expected to lose as a baby.

"I don’t have the words to explain how special it is to hear her say that,” said Helen. "I never thought that she would ever be able to speak. The communicator is revolutionising her world."

Jennifer was 19 months old when she had a massive epileptic seizure. It left her blind and in a coma and her parents were told that she would not survive.

Trials: Jennifer suffered a massive seizure at 19 months

"We were told to say our goodbyes because the doctors said she had six hours to live," said her father Stephen. "Her outlook was very bleak."

Helen gave up her management job to care for Jennifer as she fought for life. For four years Jennifer did not sleep more than 90 minutes at a time, had to be fed via a tube through her nose and cope with further serious seizures. She stopped breathing more than once.

But Jennifer, who is from Reading, was determined to beat the odds. She regained her sight and some mobility of hands and arms.

Family: Without the support of her loved ones, Jennifer is thriving

When Jennifer reached 16, her parents fought for local authority funding for her to attend National Star College in Cheltenham, a further education college for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

The battle took them five years. Jennifer is now in her second year at National Star where she is learning skills that are transforming her life.

When she arrived Jennifer could only communicate through gestures and sounds. The college’s speech and language team developed a communication system she could use.

Moving forward: Jennifer is now in her second year at college where she is learning skills that are transforming her life

State-of-the-art: The communications system the teenager uses

Her communicator is a tablet programmed with a huge range of sentences and words. Jennifer makes the tablet speak by touching different icons. National Star staff and her dad helped Jennifer arrange the Mother’s Day surprise.

“Jennifer would never found her voice if she hadn't gone to a specialist college like National Star where a team of experts had the specialist knowledge and time to work with her,” said Stephen.

When asked how she felt, she touched the smiley face icon for "happy"

“What she is learning now will change her life and give her more independence and more control. We can’t thank them enough and we are so proud of Jennifer.”

The last word goes to Jennifer. When asked how she felt, she touched the smiley face icon. “Happy,” she said and giggled.